Burning Bright
by thebestyoshi
Summary: It's easy right? When I become a pokemon trainer and set out on my journey, I plan to become the champion. With an unruly starter, a region on the brink of falling apart, and a new, less-than-beneficial organization, what could possibly go wrong?
1. New Alliances

**Hi! This is my first fanfiction. Please review!**

Chapter 1: New Alliances

A man woke up only to face the darkness and the fog which encompassed his surroundings. After he tried to see through the fog (and failed), he noticed that his clothes were ripped and tattered after being in some kind of conflict beforehand. Strangely, there seemed to be no one living in the area and the environment consisted of upside-down trees and waterfalls which travelled up. Not only that, he couldn't remember how he became trapped in this never-ending abyss.

Then it dawned on him.

On his gray vest, although soiled and ripped, he could make out a yellow "G." Fragments of his memory started to piece back together as he remembered the anguish he felt when his ultimate plan failed and his last hopes of making his dreams come true faded.

Suddenly, a flash of light enveloped him, and after it dimmed, he could make out a tall figure that reminded him distinctly of a …king. It wasn't long before he realized that the man was talking to him.

"...I know what you're thinking. Revenge. I can help you with that, but on the other hand, we can work together to create a new world. With your help, we can accomplish what you couldn't alone. So, what's your answer? Will you you accompany me on our quest?" the mysterious man said, extending his hand. "Or will you stay stranded here, forever?"

Something about the man made him seem trustworthy. Without hesitation, he took the other man's hand. For a moment, he felt thrilled at receiving a second chance. This time he would fulfill his goal, no matter what it took.

**Lumiose City**

"I'm ready to receive my pokemon!" I yelled as I raced downstairs where my parents were waiting.

Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be a pokemon trainer and have an awesome pokemon team. It wasn't until two days ago that we moved to Kalos and I decided to get a pokemon for my 11th birthday. Most of all, I wanted my team to be special and different from everyone else.

"Well, alright Amber. Want to guess what pokemon we brought you?" my mom asked.

" A Dratini?"

"Honey, those are too expensive."

"Is it a Beldum?"

"...An _exotic_ pokemon?"

"Ok, what about an eevee? You can find those in Kalos."

"Why don't we just give you the pokemon?" She reached into a bag and pulled out a pokeball and handed it to me. With some apprehension, I tossed the pokeball to the floor, and I found myself staring at a short, black and white panda cub with a leaf sticking out of its mouth. It looked at me curiously but then turned around and completely ignored me.

"...A Pancham?" I wasn't exactly disappointed, but I wasn't overjoyed either because…it's a Pancham!

"Well, we thought a Pancham would be the perfect starter because you have a unique starter. Plus, it's a fighting type, so you have an advantage over other trainers with physical attacks" my dad explained.

"Aren't Panchams really common?"

"But not many trainers have them as a starter," my mom pointed out.

And so, I received my Pancham. But it's fine, right? I could still be the best pokemon trainer and have the best team… if only I could get Pancham to listen to me.

After packing supplies, I finally left to get my Pokedex from Professor Sycamore and start my journey.

"Amber!" A girl with long, blonde hair and crystal clear blue eyes came running up to me. Even though we hadn't seen each other for two months, I immediately recognized my childhood friend.

"Sadie? What are you doing here? I thought you're supposed to be challenging the gym leaders" I said, still surprised.

"Well, silly, I came to wish you happy birthday. Also, your mom asked me to accompany you" Sadie piped as she ruffled my hair.

"You're only 2 years older than me, you know," I grumbled in response.

"Haven't I always been? Anyways, about the gym leaders, well, just look." She proudly showed me her badge case, revealing five metallic badges.

"_5 _badges? In only _2 _months?" I gaped in shock. The average trainer usually takes a year to complete half of the gym circuit, much less 5 badges in 2 months.

"Yes, and I just defeated Clemont earlier today. But, anyways you're going to get your Pokedex right? I'll lead the way!" Enthusiastically, Sadie grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the lab.

A few minutes later, we entered the lab which was filled with state of the art technology and took the elevator to the last floor. Professor Sycamore's office was far less neat than the rest of the property, and the professor looked as if he did not sleep for several days.

"Hi Professor! My friend, Amber, wants to receive a Pokedex," Sadie explained.

"Is that so? I'm Professor Sycamore and welcome to my lab! Sorry it's messier than usual. You're in luck because there's only one more pokedex left" Professor Sycamore said, and he gave me a small red device. "Actually, your parents told me beforehand that you were coming to visit me, so I already registered you in the Pokedex. I assume you already have a pokemon?" I nodded. "Then I'll show you how to register your pokemon. Just hold the pokeball in front of the pokedex." Suddenly, the device beeped and a screen displaying the gender(male), height, weight, nature, and description of Pancham appeared, and subsequently, it asked for a nickname. "Also, here's your trainer card for identification and a badge case. Good luck with your journey," he said with a smile.

As we left Lumiose City, I promptly started to brainstorm pokemon nicknames while Sadie critiqued them. After all, an awesome team needed awesome nicknames.

"Hmmm… What about Kung Fu Panda?" I suggested.

"Nope. That's way too long. Plus, you'll receive a lot of weird looks," Sadie replied.

"Mr. Cuddles?" I joked. Just then, my Pancham, who I had released, vehemently shook his head and lightly punched me in the shin.

"Ouch!" I yelped. I rubbed my leg and winced, knowing that there was going to be a large bruise there. Angrily, I stomped over to Pancham who was standing at a distance, smirking. "Alright, if you're going to be my pokemon, you have to respect me, Amber, your trainer, and I'll respect your opinion too. And no punching or hurting me." I picked him up by the waist, rendering him unable to fight back. After all, it must be intimidating to be lifted by someone more than twice as large as he is. "From now on, I'm your trainer whether you like it or not, and together, we're going to get gym badges and become the champion." He was still defiant, and he tried to punch me again, but his arms were too short. "Fine. If you can't cooperate…. then I'll tickle you!" I started to tickle him around his neck, and within seconds, he was rolling on the ground laughing. "Now, do you accept me as your trainer?" He paused, as if he was thinking, but after a while, he nodded. "Good. Now let's go!"

**So there you have it. I'm somewhat satisfied with this chapter but again please give me any comments or critiques. Thanks!**


	2. Broken Pride

**So here's chapter 2. As always, please review!**

Chapter 2: Broken Pride

"Wow, is this Route 4?" I asked.

"Yep. Just south of here is Santalune City, where you can get your first gym badge," Sadie replied.

"Awesome!"

"Mhm. Oh, have you decided on a nickname for your Pancham yet?"

"Not yet. Wait a second…What about Mr. Tickles, or Tickles, for short?" I suggested. My Pancham tilted his head, confused.

"Well…" Sadie said, trying to hold back a giggle. "Whatever you think is best…"

Later, I found out that Pancham would respond to the name Tickles, albeit grumpily.

"So, do you like the name?" I asked.

"Cham!" He shook his head vigorously.

"Fine… I won't call you Tickles. What about Ty?" I asked. This time, he nodded.

"Alright, awesome" I whipped out my Pokedex and typed in TY.

The next few days in Route 4 taught me a lot about the training world. Along the way to Santalune City, we fought numerous trainers (and won) including gardeners, roller skaters, and other 11 year old kids as well as the wild pokemon in that area. Above all, I learned life skills such as lighting fires without burning myself (I kinda wished I had a fire type starter) and cooking my own meals. Everything was going well for a while.

On our fifth day on Route 4, Sadie and I were taking a break, and she left to scout ahead. As I sat under shade, a young girl wearing a bow and a billowing, pink dress approached me and started talking. I simply stared at her as I had never seen a trainer wearing that kind of outfit.

"Hi. Would you please battle me?" she said with a smile.

Instead of accepting her challenge, I replied, "Aren't you too young to be battling? Plus, why are you wearing that dress?"

Her smile was replaced by a frown. "Hey! I'm already five years old and almost six. I've beaten trainers twice your age, and I can do the same to you! Also, dresses are awesome," she retorted haughtily.

Five year old or not, I wasn't going to let her disrespect me. "Fine. I accept your challenge."

"Ok! Go, Floette!" A blue-and-white flower pokemon materialized. I glanced at my opponent, who was grinning confidently, which only ticked me off even more.

"Go, Ty" I ordered. However, the Pancham did not move from his spot under the shady tree. I heard a giggle from the other side of the makeshift battlefield, but I ignored it.

"Ok, I'll give you a Pecha Berry if you come over here," I coaxed. Finally, he lumbered slowly to the field and took his place.

"Floette, use Fairy Wind!"

"No! Ty, dodge!" I yelled desperately. Unfortunately, Ty wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack, and the blast of energy hit him. To my relief, the panda pokemon was still standing..

"Now, use Work Up then Tackle," I commanded. Instead, he dashed toward the Floette and pummeled it with his fists, a move I recognized as Arm Thrust. After he stopped attacking, the opposing pokemon looked severely weakened and on the verge of fainting.

"Floette, finish it off with Razor Leaf." Without even ordering Ty to dodge, the fighting type pokemon evaded most of the leaves and charged into the Floette, which crashed into a tree. I smirked when I saw that my opponent seemed significantly less confident as she returned the fainted pokemon.

"Hmph. You're stronger than I thought. But, I still have my secret weapon. Go, Sylveon!" the five-year-old exclaimed. A pink, white, and blue fox-like pokemon with _ribbons_ emerged from the pokeball. "Use Moonblast!" The pokemon charged up a pink sphere of energy and released it. At the very last moment, I withdrew Ty, a forfeit, and there was a large crater where he was standing. And with that, I lost my first battle. I unceremoniously handed over some of my money to the girl, who left wordlessly.

To say that I was disappointed when I lost to a five-year-old is an understatement. In truth, I was devastated. I forfeited the battle to save my pokemon but at the expense of my pride and Ty's pride. Sure, I was at a type disadvantage and a level disadvantage, but it was unsettling to know that there were super strong five-year-old trainers.

Just then, Sadie returned. "Hey Amber, I'm back. I got some berries for you and Ty-wait what happened?"

**Author's Notes**

**Slight cliffhanger there...**

**I noticed that the first part of chapter one was a bit ambiguous, but it will all be revealed some time!**

**Also, I'll try to update this story within a week or as fast as I can.**


	3. Consolation

**Sorry this chapter is late and more like a filler, but I promise that there will be more action in the next chapter. Also, I might not update as often in the next two weeks or so because of finals, but hopefully I have more time to write during the summer. Please review!**

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Chapter 3: Consolation

To my surprise, when I refused to tell Sadie about the battle, she looked at me, then at the crater, and simply shrugged. However, I knew that something was bothering her.

"Amber, you need to tell me what's going on. I know we're friends but ever since today, you've been ignoring me, and I don't think I can deal with it much longer," she said truthfully, "Plus… I care about you," my friend said in a voice barely audible.

I tried to put on my best fake smile. "It's nothing, really." Frankly, I didn't know how to explain that I was mercilessly beaten by a five-year-old. I cringed at that thought

"Something must have happened that caused the huge crater to appear in the ground," Sadie replied.

"It's nothing, okay," I said, starting to become annoyed.

"Amber, do you want me to keep pestering you about this all day?" she asked jokingly.

"..."

Sadie sighed, "You lost your first battle didn't you?"

I spun around, shocked, "Wait.. but…. how do you know?"

"Well, I felt the same way you're feeling when I lost my first battle."

I arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"So, you know how there are five entrances to Lumiose City?" I nodded. "Well, after I received my Charmander, I accidentally went through the exit leading to Laverre City. And let's just say I wasn't enthusiastic when I found that the route was covered with swamps and most of the trainers there had five or more badges." Sadie continued to recount her journey to Laverre City. "...Somehow, I made it to Laverre City, but I lost to all of the trainers on that route.

That made me feel marginally better as we entered the Pokemon Center in Santalune City late at night. After healing Ty, we went to check out the free buffet. Suddenly, I realized that I had no idea what kind of food my Pancham liked. After all, I mainly fed him generic Pokemon food and trail mix on Route 4.

"Alright Ty. You need to choose your own food today," I said, pointing to the buffet. At the word "food," Ty immediately perked up and climbed onto the counter while knocking over plates and trays. Somehow, I managed to trap him in a bear hug and prevent him from damaging any more property, and instead, picked out an assortment of food for him to try out. As soon as I put the food on the table, Ty began stuffing himself with food and ended up consuming three more plates.

"Is it healthy for Panchams to be eating that much…?" I wondered. After all, Ty ate five times more than I did.

"Maybe he'll burn all the calories during training. Anyways, let's go check out our room!" Sadie said after we retrieved the keys. The room wasn't very large, but it was way better than camping outside. I rushed over to the shower as I hadn't bathed in a week, and I let Pancham explore the room, which probably wasn't a good idea in hindsight.

A few minutes later...

"Hey! Ty! Get off the TV! No, don't knock that over!" I exclaimed. Ty did a flip off the TV and grinned at me mischieviously, but then knocked over a lamp. I looked at him closely and realized that he was filthy and leaving dirt everywhere. "Sadie, can you help me clean this up?" When I didn't get a response, I turned around only to see that she was already sleeping, oblivious to my problems. I sighed and decided to focus on Ty first, so I picked him up by the waist and put him down in the bathtub. "Ok, mister, you have to take a bath." Ty looked at me, confused. I turned on the water in the bathtub, but when the water came towards Ty, he panicked and splashed water everywhere until he realized it was harmless. Finally, I managed to scrub him clean at the expense of my clothes, which were soaked. Exhausted, I lay down on my bed and fell asleep.

* * *

The next day…

I woke up early in the morning, shivering. I was pretty sure I fell asleep under the blankets. Then, I turned over to see that Pancham was sleeping (and snoring) besides me and taking all of the blankets.

"Come on, Ty. Wake up," I said, shaking him, but he didn't respond. So, I poured some water from my water bottle on his face as payback for taking all of the blankets.

"Pan! Cham!" After wiping the water off his face, he glared at me and started protesting.

"Yes, I know that it's early in the morning and you want to sleep but the sooner we catch a pokemon, the faster we can return here and rest," I explained. Ty still looked grumpy but his eyes widened when I mentioned catching another pokemon. "Well, you can't fight all of the battles by yourself, and we need at least another one to defeat the first gym and a full team of pokemon to defeat the champion." Ty seemed slightly disappointed, but he didn't protest.

After packing my bag, getting ready for the excursion, and eating breakfast, I headed downstairs. I went over to Nurse Joy to ask her about the Pokemon in the areas around Santalune City.

"Hi! How can I help you?" she asks.

"I was wondering if you knew what kind of Pokemon I can catch around here since I'm about to challenge the gym," I said.

"Oh! Well, you can catch Fletchlings and Pidgeys in Santalune Forest as the trainers in the gyms specialize in bug-type pokemon. Santalune Forest is just south of here, and I recommend you get a map if you haven't been there yet," Nurse Joy suggests.

"Ok, thanks!" I said as I exited the Pokemon Center.

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**Well, I hope it wasn't boring and as always please review!**


	4. Lost

**Well, here it is. I was planning to post this chapter yesterday, but one thing led to another and I didn't have time to write or post. Anyways, thanks for all of the reviews! They keep me motivated and hopefully improve my writing at the same time.**

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Chapter 4: To Be or Not To Be Lost

It had been two hours since I entered Santalune Forest, and I was nowhere near catching another pokemon. I noticed how trainers were catching pokemon; it seemed easy enough, but I couldn't even catch a Scatterbug with my below par aim. Not only that, the forest was literally a maze with trainers around every corner…

"Why do I feel like I'm walking around in circles?" I sighed to myself. Ty sat on my shoulder, too full to move after eating five pancakes at the pokemon center for breakfast. "Ugh, Ty, you're becoming too heavy. Seriously, how can you eat so much?" I said, setting him down. He immediately protested by flopping on the ground, not moving. "Fine, if you don't want to walk, then I'll return you to your pokeball." Finally, he stood up and seemed to be willing to exercise. "Good. Oh yeah, look out for flying-type pokemon and warn me if there are trainers in the vicinity so that we can avoid them." Fighting trainers gave a lot of experience, but my priority was to catch a pokemon and return to the Pokemon Center as soon as possible.

As if on cue, a youngster jumped down from a tree, startling me. "I challenge you to battle!" he declared.

"Sorry, but no. I'm in a hurry."

He frowned and blocked my path. "You can't just back out! You have to fight me since you're a trainer and have usable pokemon. See, it even says so here," he said, pointing at a page his trainer handbook.

I pouted as Ty took a fighting stance, "Let's just get this over with."

Two minutes and a fainted Pikachu later, I took out my map so that I actually knew where I was going. I was about to keep on exploring the forest when I heard a voice behind me.

"We're not done yet! Chubs, Thundershock!" the youngster shouted. Surprisingly, his Pikachu managed to send a weak thunderbolt that was careening towards me, not Ty. I noticed it too late, but instead of striking me, it hit my map which was immediately burnt to a crisp. Then, I realized that my only chance of getting out of my forest was pretty much gone, along with my map. I glared at the youngster intensely, who immediately backed up nervously. "...Um… S-Sorry? Well, anyways, I need to go. Bye!" he said, sprinting away with his Pikachu before I could catch him.

**Three hours later...**

After the youngster ran off, I spent the better part of the next few hours avoiding trainers and trying to retrace my steps, even though I knew I was pretty deep into the forest. I hadn't been expecting to hear chirping near me when I finally gave up. Interested, I followed the chirping until I found its source, which turned out to be a Fletchling. Well, even if I was hopelessly lost, I could at least try to catch a Pokemon, right?

"Ty, use Tackle," I ordered, pointing at the Fletchling. Reluctantly, he charged at the flying-type pokemon, who was hit head-on.

"Use Tackle one more time!" Before Ty could execute the attack, the Fletchling flew away without giving me a chance to throw a pokeball at it. Just then, a boy with brown hair who was around my age came out from his hiding spot in the bushes.

"What were you doing? I was about to catch that Fletchling!" he said.

"Well, how was I supposed to know you were going to catch it?" I argued.

"That's not the point! I was already tracking the Fletchling for the past two hours."

"Then, why didn't you catch it before?"

"I was trying to see if it had good stats. You see, pokemon have different IVs, or individual values, which are basically-"

"Fine, whatever. I don't need an explanation. Just leave me alone, please," I said, starting to become more impatient and annoyed with each passing second.

"Wait! Actually, can you help my find a Fletchling with good IVs?" he asked.

"And why should I help a random person who just ranted at me?"

"Well… because… I'll give you something in return if you help."

Then, I noticed a piece of paper sticking out of his pocket, and I realized it was a map. "Hmm… I'll do it if you give me that map of Santalune Forest in return."

"Ok, fine. Let's start searching!" he said enthusiastically.

We had considerably more luck than I did when searching for Fletchlings. However, he (I eventually learned that his name was Elliot) decided not to catch the ones that we found.

"What about this one?" I asked, pointing to a Fletchling perched on a branch of a tree.

"Well, it has good potential in attack but doesn't have much potential in speed. Let's try to find another one," Elliot said.

I sighed for the umpteenth time that day. "You know, we're never going to catch a Fletchling at this rate if you're this picky. Plus, how can you tell what kind of stats pokemon have?"

"I'm just guessing, but usually I'm right. Who knows, we might be lucky and find one with good stats next time."

"Fine…" Suddenly, I noticed a flash of yellow near the trees. It looked like a flying-type pokemon or even a Fletchling, so I decided to investigate it. "Hey, I think a saw a Fletchling over there. Let's go check it out." We explored the forest a little bit more, and after a few minutes, we found the Fletchling I saw. However, its feathers were yellow and light orange instead of the traditional red and white. I turned to Elliot, who was gaping in shock at the Fletchling.

"Um, Elliot? Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Don't you know how rare these are? It's a shiny Fletchling! The chances of finding a shiny are only 1/4096," he exclaimed.

"Well, yeah, but what's so special about it? It just looks different."

"But it's still super rare! Anyways, I'm going to catch it. Go, Aero." A small pokemon with four stubby legs and steel armor, an Aron, emerged from his pokeball.

"Ty, make sure the Fletchling doesn't escape." The panda pokemon didn't move from his resting place until I bribed him with berries to help out Elliot's pokemon. The battle was repetitive; whenever the Fletchling tried to escape, Ty intimidated the flying-type while Aero tackled it. Finally, it was weakened enough to be caught.

"Amber, there's a problem… I don't have any pokeballs," he admitted mareepishly.

"Wait, what? Are you saying you can't catch the Fletchling?" I panicked.

"Well, not necessarily. Can you give me a pokeball?"

"..."

"Please?"

"You owe me one," I said grumpily as I tossed him the item.

"Thanks!" He threw the pokeball, which hit the Fletchling and sucked it in. The pokeball shook three times before it dinged. I let out a relieved sigh. However, my pokedex suddenly turned on and a page describing the Fletchling's characteristics appeared. Wait… that didn't happen unless I caught the pokemon.

"Wait a second… oh no… Did you happen to register your pokeballs at the pokemon center?" Elliot asked worriedly.

"...Oh..."

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**Hoped you enjoyed this chapter!**


	5. Misadventures and Recovery

**Hi guys! I just want to apologize for this super long hiatus. I know I promised that I would have time to work on this fanfic, but one thing led to another, and seriously, I have no excuses. I'm really really grateful to all of you who have been reading this story and reviewing. Without further ado, I present to you chapter 5. **

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Chapter 5: Misadventures and Recovery

"So you're saying that the shiny Fletchling is mine?" I asked, just to make sure. I was still shocked and surprised as I held the pokéball containing the shiny pokémon tightly in my grip.

"Yep. Since your pokéball was registered under you, the Pokédex will mark the Fletchling as one of your Pokémon regardless of whoever used it," Elliot explained.

"Oh…" Sure, I was excited that I managed to obtain a shiny Pokémon, but it still felt… wrong. Like it didn't actually belong to me since I didn't catch the Fletchling myself. "So, are we going to continue searching for Fletchlings?"

"Here," he said, handing me the map abruptly. "It's the least I can do for making you follow me. Plus, I got to see a shiny because of you." He stood up, preparing to leave. "Well, it's nice meeting you Amber, but I have somewhere to be."

"...W-wait what? But don't you need the map too?"

He shook his head. "It's fine, really. I actually know the forest by heart; I just carry a map for back-up. You should get going though since it's already getting dark." And with that, he left me to navigate the forest by myself as he headed in the opposite direction.

* * *

**2 hours later…**

I yawned, deciding to take a break. Even with the map, I still encountered some difficulties. Namely, the fact that I could barely read it because the sun had already set. Since I was going to rest, I might as well let my Pokémon get some fresh air.

"Come on out Ty, Fletchling!" I called. Come to think of it, I completely forgot to give my Fletchling a nickname. A few seconds later, I felt a panda cub ram into my stomach.

"H-Hey Ty! What was that for?" I gasped as the air was knocked out of me.

"Pan! Cham!" He pointed to his stomach and began to ransack my backpack for food.

"Alright, alright I know you're hungry. Just stop raiding my backpack!" I quickly placed it out of Pancham's reach and began distributing berries and other scraps of food to my Pokémon. Just then, Ty noticed the other member of the team, my shiny Fletchling. "Oh, I forgot to introduce you two. This is our newest member, Fletchling. Ty, Fletchling. Fletchling, Ty," I pointed to each of them when I said their names.

"Pan?"

"Fletch?" The two of them began to socialize, or so I thought, but I wasn't paying attention to them at the time.

Instead, I directed my attention to the Pokédex, which was still asking for a nickname for Fletchling. "Hmm, I should probably come up with a nickname. The Pokédex says that it's a female so…" I said to myself. I began brainstorming ideas in my notebook. "Ah! I got it! I'll name it Navi!" I quickly typed NAVI into the Pokédex. "Alright, Fletchling, your new name is… Gah!" I jumped back and almost dropped my Pokédex in shock as something yellow and white flew past me in a blur. As I tried to comprehend what had happened, a small pebble whizzed right past me and hit the tree that I was resting next to. After I recovered from my shock, my eyes rested on the culprit who threw the pebble, Ty. However, he was focused on his target, the same yellow and white projectile that flew past me, which I recognized as my Fletchling. I put two and two together and finally realized what happened. Somehow, in the sparse minutes I was coming up with a nickname, Ty and Navi got into an argument that eventually escalated into a fight, and knowing Ty, it was probably about food. I facepalmed myself. This was the last thing I wanted to deal with. Anyways, I was too tired to talk some sense into my pokémon and saved that conversation for when I returned to the Pokémon Center.

"Return Ty, Navi," I said dryly. Only after I finished packing up and continued walking did I realize how exhausted I felt. I had no idea how much time passed before my legs finally gave out and I entered a deep sleep.

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**Some Time Later…**

I woke up in bed, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Wait a second, in bed? I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. There's no doubt about it; I was in our room at the Pokémon Center, the one I shared with Sadie. Speaking of Sadie…

"So you're finally awake." I immediately looked to my right and saw her sitting on the couch, staring out of the window. Suddenly, I felt queasy in my stomach. I knew from experience that when Sadie did not make eye contact with someone, it meant that she was either embarrassed or angry at that person. Yet I had a feeling it was the latter case.

"Erm… So, uh, what happened?" I asked in a desperate attempt to break the awkward silence.

"You went to Santalune Forest without talking to me first and got lost. Then, you fell asleep in the middle of the forest and I had to carry you back to the Pokémon Center," Sadie explained.

"Oh…" I tried to mask my embarrassment with nervous laughter… which obviously didn't work. "Sorry about that…"

"This isn't a laughing matter, Amber," Sadie cut me off.

"...!" I flinched. I had never seen her that angry before ever since _that _incident.

Sadie continued. "Did you think about how worried I was when I couldn't find you? You could have been assaulted out there or starved to death."

"But I'm not a little kid anymore! I can take care of myself now without you having to hold my hand all the time!" I pouted.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Amber" Sadie said, regaining her calm demeanor. "I know you're going to be a very capable trainer in a few years or so, but until then, you need to watch out for yourself. Recently, there've been more reports of trainers around your age being attacked by wild Pokémon and mercenaries…" Sadie took a deep breath and sighed, "...and if something like that happened to you, I wouldn't know what to do."

As I realized how badly I messed up, I felt a pang of guilt piercing through me. Thinking back to yesterday morning, I completely forgot about Sadie when I left the Pokémon Center. I hung my head down in shame. "I-I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't realize how much I made you worry, and I-" The next moment, all I felt was shock and relief as Sadie rushed over and nearly crushed me in a bear hug. In a good way. If that made any sense.

"It's alright, Amber. That's all I needed to hear," Sadie said when she let go of me. "It's fine now. You're safe right now and that's all that matters to me. As long as you promise that you won't leave me again. Promise?" I quickly nodded. "Good. Now, moving on…" Sadie quickly changed topics, "...congratulations on your newest team member!" She showed me the pokéball that held my shiny Fletchling. "How did you catch it?"

"Thanks! As for how I caught it, it's kind of a long story."

"I'm all ears, Amber." Sadie made herself comfortable.

"Well, alright then. Here's what happened…" I began telling her about my experience in Santalune Forest, like how I got lost in the first place or when my map was burnt. Occasionally, Sadie interrupted with comments such as "That's some terrible luck! Remind me to teach you how to aim a pokéball properly, okay?" or "Elliot? He kind of sounds like a jerk." But as I finished recounting the story, I had a feeling that everything was going to be fine. Like it once was.

* * *

**This chapter is a gift to SosoandGlaceon21! Her original account is SosoandGlaceon, but stuff happened and long story short, she lost it. Her fanfics are amazing, so don't forget to read them! As always, please please please review! Thanks for reading! And if you noticed the (obvious) Legend of Zelda reference, give yourself a cookie. **


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